Breastfeeding, co-sleeping, broken nights

[Turkkadin]

There are regularly threads started on MN about months of broken nights, breastfeeding and having babies sleeping in bed with you.
I'm not trying to be goads or unsympathetic, just trying to compare styles of parenting young babies. Maybe it's a generational thing as I'm 52. All 3 of mine were breastfed from birth for 3 weeks then bottle fed.
They weren't rocked to sleep and were often put to bed at night awake.
None ever co slept with us. They all went through the night from a matter of weeks old and all were good settled sleepers. I'm not saying our way was better but it seemed a lot simpler.

Thanks for letting me know how wrong I'm doing motherhood 👍👍👍

Ahahaha. Ha.

Aren't you a superstar then?

If you're not trying to be goady, why did you post this at 11pm? It doesn't take a genius to work out that most people reading will be having some sort of sleepless night.

Wow. I'll go back ti bed then. Sorry newborn yuy should be bottle fed now according to a keyboard gloater

Goads? YABU.

That’s a shame op, you missed out on lots of cuddles and special moments that last a very short time.

But research has told us since then that certain methods are more beneficial to the child - particularly breastfeeding.

The U.K. Has the lowest breastfeeding rates around anyway so I'm not sure that 'in your day' it was that much different tbh.

Oh, and my mum (60) breastfed and coslepts with me and my sister. My sister until she was 3!

I mixed fed mine and they have only just started sleeping though at 17 months.

Babies are not robots. You can't just complete a few tasks and expect them to "switch off" for the night.

My 10 month old ds has been cutting one tooth after another for weeks now. Sleeping through the night is not a priority; he is uncomfortable and struggling and needs his mum. Where's my medal?

Well I guess they had to go down quickly, you wouldn’t have had much time, given that you were getting up before you went to bed in order to work 25 hours down t’mill.

But if you try telling youngsters that today, they won’t believe you...

Blue peters badge on its way!

My grandma once said the people who have to brag about such things are lacking in other aspects.

slow clap for OP

Oh and I'll bet my bum OP doesn't return to comment...

I was there for my children when they needed me. I didn't train them to learn that I wouldn't come if they needed me after a random time picked out of the air (or so it must seem to a baby).

Unfortunately as one had severe reflux until he was 5, this meant I didn't sleep much. But he was in pain and I never left him alone.

My friend fosters babies. She said the saddest ones are the ones that never cry because they have already learnt that no one will come.

My mums older than you and I was breastfeeding til 15 months. And co slept. She encouraged me to co sleep as it’s lovely and feels nice. When she told me that I felt so loved and cared for. You post however makes me think you’re a goady fucker

My Grannie (now 90) was very stressed because she was told she had to feed every 4 hours and so the last hour of that she usually had an upset baby to distract - she would have been much happier feeding on demand.

My mum (late 50's) breastfed three children. 2 slept through the night at about 8/9months, one at 2;6.

My friend's baby slept through the night by about 4 weeks (for 11/12 hours).

Some people are lucky. I suspect another difference is it's now more socially acceptable to say they aren't sleeping, you are co-sleeping etc.

They weren't rocked to sleep and were often put to bed at night awake.
None ever co slept with us. They all went through the night from a matter of weeks old and all were good settled sleepers. I'm not saying our way was better but it seemed a lot simpler.
I'm 57. I did this because I was young and naive and made the mistake of listening to my HV. I REALLY wish I'd listened to my babies and had the confidence to do all the lovely bf on demand and co sleeping that happens now.

My mum is 20 years older than you OP. She breastfed three of us until around a year, rocked us to sleep, sat up with us when we didn't sleep etc etc.

I don't think it's a generation thing, I think it's personal choice and what kind of baby you've got though.

Of course it's simpler to just leave babies to cry.

Bitchy comments galore.

We have thrush in our midst! An irritating and annoying tw@t!

I’m 54, bf and co-slept with DS2 until he was 2.5. Didn’t have an unbroken night in the entire time, was utterly exhausted because he was a velcro baby who screamed if put down. DS1 otoh, also bf, slept through in his own room from 6 weeks (advice on that was different then). They’re all different and you do what works for them and you. That’s the child-centred approach.

My sister was in her 40s. When she was born, my mum was told never to feed her sooner than 3 hours no matter how hard she cried. Mum still remembers the pain of listening to this tiny baby cry and not being allowed to feed her.

She was also told to give her raw egg and rusk at 3 weeks when she was feeding more often than the doctor thought was right. Clearly shitty advice.

I put my first born on a strict routine and he slept in a different room, bottles at night and he slept beautifully.

My dd was breastfed on demand and co slept and she was exactly the same as my son.

You do what is right for you, your family and your circumstances.

I would also add that it is easy to forget years later just how hard it was for you and perhaps the rose tinted spectacles have glossed over the hard nights you probably had with your own kids.

I feel like I've read this thread before.